9+ Certificate of Conformance Examples – PDF

There is always a standard on how to do things especially in business. If your company or organization is specializing in producing materials and/or products, you will have to abide by the standards set forth by a competent authorizing body. Those standards will be the basis to know if your company or organization has been keeping up with what has been set as a guide in making quality materials and/or products to distribute to the public.

As mentioned, standards to determine if your company or organization are making good quality materials or products have been set, therefore, you will have to certify that your company or organization has indeed kept up with the standards. Not only will it tell the quality of the product, it can also help determine if your company has been employing practices that have positive impact on the environment and to the community as well.

What Is a Certificate of Conformance?

A certificate of conformance is produced by the party providing materials or products or services that is then certified by a competent authorizing body. It basically testifies that the company or organization that has produced such products have met the required specifications or standard. This certificate is also called as the Certificate of Conformity or Certificate of Compliance. This certificate will be a verification that the product that has been produced by a certain company or organization is of good quality and is approved to be sold to the market.

However, these specifications and standards vary all around the globe. Which means that the company or organization must be able to produce products that will fit into what has been set as the country’s or state’s standards to be able to be certified and be given the approved certificate of conformance. The certificate of conformance will determine if the company or organization will be able to sell the products they produce in the state or country.

The products undergo testings in order to prove that certain specifications or standard were followed by the company or organization during the manufacturing of such products. The authorizing body sets forth what steps or processes are involved in such tests, and in turn will give them the results if the such specifications or standards were followed. After the products are tested and yield positive results, only then will a certificate of conformance be released by the authorizing body.

Th certificate of conformance is a very important document that will ensure that the products sold to the market are made of good materials and are of the best quality. This will help avoid the selling of substandard products that deemed unsafe and unreliable and may even lead to customer injury. The certificate of conformance will make sure that the products company distributes and sells are safe to use.

Certificate of Conformance Format Example

Short Certificate of Conformance Template Example

Commonly Asked Questions about Certificate of Conformance

In order to help you fully understand what a certificate of conformance is along with things under its premise, here are some answered questions all about a certificate of conformance, more specifically during the application of the certificate:

1. Who issues a certificate of conformance?

The party responsible in issuing a certificate of conformance varies depending if you are the manufacturer or importer. If you are the importer of the product, you have to provide the certificate of conformance for the products you are about to ship. Meanwhile, if you are the manufacturer and only wishes to sell the products domestically, then you should issue the certificate of conformance.

However, you have to remember that the certificate must only be issued after the products have gone through the test and have yielded favorable results. The legal responsibilities still remain with the manufacturer or importer regardless of having other party assist in drafting the document.

2. Where is the certificate of conformance submitted?

It is imminent that as the manufacturer or importer, you should provide your distributors or re-sellers a hard copy of the certificate. It is definitely a must that all of the products covered by the certificate should always be accompanied by the said certificate. Lastly, you are obligated by the Federal Law that you provide a copy of the certificate to the Customs Commissioner. For your efficiency, it is better to have your certificate published online. However, if not available electronically, it is still a good practice to have a hard copy of the certificate attached to all your imported shipments to facilitate customs procedures.

3. Is the certificate needed when direct selling?

If you are directly selling your products to your customers/consumers, it is not required to provide the certificate of conformance to your customers. The law only requires that you provide a copy of such to your distributors or sellers and not to your consumers/customers.

4. What is the basis of the certificate of conformance?

The basis of your certificate of conformance are the tests conducted to each of your product or any reasonable testing procedure. The certificate will verify that each product has been tested out and are deemed as safe to use by the authorizing body. This certificate is very important especially when exporting the products to other countries since you can only be allowed to export if you’ve been given this certificate.

5. Where is the certificate filed?

As it is mandated by law that you should attain or provide one, it is evident that the certificate of conformance should be filed to the appropriate government office or agency. The certificate should only be printed or given to the Customs Commissioner should they request for one. In addition, it is required by law that you provide a copy of the certificate to all the product shipments as well as for your your distributors or retailers.

6. Are e-certificates valid?

Online certificates are valid so long as the governing office or agency as well as the Commission has easy access to it. As you know, printing the certificate online will be the most efficient and the option that provides less hassle to you and the other parties needing the certificate. However, you have to remember to use the proper format and you should also provide all the other requirements, documents, or attachments that need to go with it.

7. Are changes necessary for different shipments or batches of products when posting the certificate online?

There is no need to provide different certificates on conformance for products that are materially unchanged like that of the previous shipment. The most important thing to remember is that it should still describe the range of products that are covered. You will have to make some changes to the certificate if you changed the items in the shipment, or you added or reduced the items in your shipment. You have to remember that your certificate should be accurate to the actual products you have in your shipment in order to avoid issues.

8. Is the certificate of conformance necessary for every shipment?

It is definitely needed for all your shipment. The law mandates that you provide the required certificate to every shipment that you make. This law applies to both imported products and domestically made products. A unique identifier will enable the easy access of the certificate leading to a website URL if you have your e-certificate for your shipment.

9. Should there be an affixed signature on the certificate of conformance?

There is no need to affix a signature on your certificate of conformance. The mere fact that you are able to provide such certificate is enough for you to meet the requirement. However, there is also nothing wrong or illegal should you wish to sign your original copy of the certificate. In addition, there will be instances when you may be asked/required to sign it, you can go ahead and affix your signature.

10. Are there sanctions when failing the requirements for the certificate?

There is appropriate penalty on failing to furnish a certificate of conformance or issuing a false copy of the certificate. Civil penalties and possibly criminal penalties, and, worse, a forfeiture of their assets will be the penalties the manufacturer or importer is liable to should they fail to furnish the certificate or falsify one. Therefore, it is important to make sure that the information you include in your certificate are accurate in order to avoid legal sanctions.

RoHS Certificate of Conformance Example

Company Certificate of Conformance Example

Conclusion

A certificate of conformance will help the consumers as well as the appropriate government office or agency determine that your product have undergone the right tests to prove that your products are safe to be used by the public. It is an essential document that can help you continue on with your business endeavors and one that can legally prosecute you should you fail to provide one. We hope that you have learned about a certificate of conformance with the help of this guide.